In this raucous new anthology, 30 of the worlds greatest chefs relate outrageous true tales from their kitchens. From hiring a blind line cook to witnessing security guards attacking hungry customers, these accounts are wildly entertaining and revealing. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Food is fast becoming entertainment, so it's only natural that it should follow in the footsteps of sports and show business and offer up a collection of bloopers. Literary agent Witherspoon and food writer Friedman corralled 40 gastronomic heavyweights to share their versions of dinners gone wrong. The highlight is, unsurprisingly, the piece by chef and bestselling author Anthony Bourdain. His "New Year's Meltdown" is a case study in what happens when you don't plan (Bourdain admits, "Nobody likes a 'learning experience' translating as it does to 'a total ass-fucking' but I learned"). Mario Batali's "The Last Straw," though not relating a culinary catastrophe per se, is runnerup: Batali was in culinary school when he clashed with a chef; in a spectacular crescendo, the chef hurled a pan of risotto at the young student, but revenge was sweet. But for every fantastic screwup, there's a dud. The translated pieces (such as the one by Spanish titan Ferrán Adriŕ) fail to captivate, and others, like Jimmy Bradley's tale about how he got drunk on the job to spite his boss, are neither entertaining nor instructive. Still, this collection happily reminds us that even big shots have off days. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Literary agent Witherspoon and culinary writer Friedman teamed with 40 professional chefs to compile this eclectic collection of cooking mishaps and near disasters. These short, anecdotal stories offer the reader a sometimes comical and always unique glimpse behind the scenes of restaurant kitchens. The result is a fantastic collection of personal stories that depict these great chefs as real people. The vast majority of tales comes from chefs in New York City, but there are also stories from professional cooks in other U.S. cities as well as England, Australia, and Spain. Furthermore, the editors preface each chef's story with a short biography, which enriches the work. While the text does not offer any recipes, readers are certain to learn valuable culinary lessons from the chefs' mistakes and their various and creatively solved dilemmas. Perfect for public libraries of all sizes, this book is sure to be enjoyed by culinary fans across the board. Lisa A. Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at Birmingham Lib., Lister Hill Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information